Brexit in turmoil as UK PM May pulls vote on her EU divorce deal

Brexit in turmoil as UK PM May pulls vote on her EU divorce deal

Written by Reuters

11 Dec, 2018 | 5:10 pm

Written by Reuters
11 Dec, 2018 | 5:10 pm

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Reuters: Prime Minister Theresa May abruptly postponed a parliamentary vote on her Brexit deal on Monday (December 10), throwing Britain’s plan to leave the European Union into chaos after admitting that she faced a rout.

May’s move on the eve of the scheduled parliamentary vote opens up an array of possible outcomes ranging from a disorderly Brexit without a deal, a last-minute deal clinched just weeks before Britain’s March 29 exit, or another EU referendum.

European Council President Donald Tusk said on Monday Brexit would be discussed at the council meeting on Thursday (December 13), including how to help the British government ratify the exit process, but that the Withdrawal Agreement was not up for renegotiation.

Britain’s International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said the withdrawal agreement, “if we are able to deal with the anxieties of the backstop is frankly the only one that looks like it could command a majority in the House of Commons.”

With her position in open jeopardy, May said she would now go back to the EU and seek reassurances over the so-called Irish backstop. It is meant to ensure no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland as a result of Brexit, but is seen by many on all sides in parliament as leaving Britain’s Northern Ireland province within the EU’s economic and regulatory orbit.